Late Bloomers                                                                  08-14-15

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (ESV) ²⁶  For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
²⁷  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
²⁸  God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
²⁹  so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.


I received an encouraging text this week and God used it, along with my tomato plant, to provide me an object lesson about His Sovereignty. Huh??  O.K. I have a few tomato plants on my deck and one happens to be a cherry tomato plant. You know them by "tommie toes." Well, this plant has produced some good little tomatoes. However, I noticed that this week past, toward the end of the growing season, this last harvest is different. These small tomatoes are perfect. They are large(for tommie toes), they are fat, and they have the deepest, richest color of red. Much deeper and richer than the last batch. I don't want to pick them, I just want to admire them. Put them on display if you will. 

After receiving the text earlier this week and while admiring the quality of the tommie toes, God spoke to my heart. He reminded me that these tommie toes were "late bloomers." For some reason it had taken these tomatoes more time to bloom on the vine and also to produce fruit.But, now that they had begun to produce, the fruit was of a much higher quality. I had to agree, heck I didn't want to eat them, I just wanted to look at them! lol.

God works that way doesn't He? Look at that verse again. "Foolish to shame the wise," "weak to shame the strong," and my favorite"what is low and despised in the world..........." 

Listen ,brothers and sisters, maybe you are looking around at family, loved ones, maybe you are looking at YOURSELF and are discouraged and beaten because you don't see any blooming or fruit in the lives of your loved ones or yourself. The enemy is telling you God doesn't care. He's telling you that they ,or worse ,YOU aren't the real deal. But, God isn't on our time frame is He? HE IS SOVEREIGN.HE WILL ACCOMPLISH HIS PURPOSE; IN YOUR LIFE..IN YOUR LOVED ONE'S LIFE, IN HIS TIME!!

Look at this.  

2 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV) ¹⁴  But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 

A more descriptive translation is the Holman Christian Standard. It speaks of God putting us "on display" even to he point of "flaunting." My point is this. If you are a Christian, God is going to ALWAYS lead you in triumphal procession. He is going to put you on display. He is going to flaunt you. ALWAYS, EVERY TIME, WITHOUT EXCEPTION. That is what the word "always" means.The same goes for that husband, wife, child, in law or outlaw. Amen? AMEN??

Folks, let me tell you something. We and when I say we, I mean ME, get on our high horse and pronounce judgment on people because WE don't "see" any fruit in their lives. We worry and aggrieve ourselves about those around us who don't seem to be "doing it God's way."Worse, we disregard what God says about US and we believe the devil's lie when he accuses us of not being the genuine article. 

But, we are just like those tommie toes. Some bloom quickly and produce fruit immediately. Some, like a fine wine,spend a little more time in the vine. They take a little more time to mature and ripen. But, mature and ripen they will; and when they do ,God is going to show them off. As the Apostle Paul said, stay the course. It may seem that loved one is going to flounder and squander all that God has for them. It may look to you that YOU are swimming against the tide and going nowhere. But, not to God. His purposes for this world will not be thwarted; neither will His purposes for you and yours.  Amen? AMEN!! 


Psalm 143:11 (ESV) ¹¹  For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!



God Bless